Overrunning drive for lawn mower cutters



Nov. 3, 1942.

W. C. STARKEY OVERRUNNING DRIVE FOR LAWN MOWER CUTTERS Filed Dec. 7, 1939 a self-contained drivingunit which may be subt t cutter'shaft a Patent Nov. 3,

ATENT OFFICE OVERRUNMNG LAWN mowim William Carleton Starkey, Indianapolis, Ind., assignor to L. G. S. Spring Clutches, Incorporated, Indianapolis, Ind., a corporation Application December 7, 1939, Serial No. 308,030

2 Claims. (Cl. 56 -294) Thisinvention relates to an overrunning drive Fig. 1 is a view partly in section of portionsfor lawn mower cutters. of the cutting mechanism of a lawn mower with The cutting reels of present-day lawn mowers a drive therefor constructed in accordance with are ordinarily driven from the ground wheels the invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional through a pair of ratchet connections which perview of the drivingunit. Fig. 3 is an elevational mit the cutter to remain stationary when the view of one of the elements thereof and Fig. 4 mower is moved backward but which drive the is an end view of the same element. cutter when the mower is moved forward. These In the preferred form of the invention shown ratchet constructions are subject to several disin the drawing by way of illustration there is advantages. For the sake of strength, the provideda cutter shaft l0 carrying the usual ratchet teeth must be made relatively large and cutting elements ll of a lawn mower. The shaft hence fewinnumber. The usual numberis three in is supported on ball bearing units l2 of a teeth at each endvof the cutter shaft. The small onventional form which are mounted in the number of teethresults in considerable lost'moframe structure It of the mower. A pinion memtion each time the mower is started forward so 18 her It is freely mounted on each end of the shaft that the cutter is invariably late in starting its in and each of said pinions may be driven by the rotation. corresponding ground wheel of the mower Another disadvantage is due to the fact that through suitable gearin n t s wn. a h in turning the mower the two ground wheels ionmember is formed with a boss l5 having an move through different distances. Thus the internal bore forming a p ing pocket in which ratchet teeth on the two ends are never in there is Seated 8 coiled clutch p n l The alignment with each other and the drive of the Spring is P ov d d at one end with an intu'rned cutter is invariably from one end only. This toe engaging a a le opening in a collar fact i responsible for added strain on t parts member l8 mounted on the shaft Ill. The collar especially when a stick or other foreign object is 2 member 18 Provided wi h a k yway 19 adapted picked up between the rotating and the stationto receive a key 20 mounted i the shaft 1 A ary tt bah retaining cap 2| surrounds the boss l5 and has Perhaps t greatest disadvantage of t an inturned portion 22 adapted to retain the ratchet construction is noise. When the mower member and Spring I6 within the sprin is suddenly stopped after a vigorous forward P The cap 3| isretainedinplace y c m movement, the cutter over-travels and the 8 the edge at Suitable intervals into recesses "dodging keys which serve as pawlg move aver in the surface of the boss It as shown at 23 in' the ratchet teeth with a characteristic clatter Fig. 2. p well known to late sleepers whose neighbors have The Springs are formed w th an external an early morning lawn mowing habit. Th same diameter which in the free state is slightly greatnoise is produced each time the lawn mower is er than the internal diameter of t Spring moved b k d and t keys similarly engage pocket. It is thus always in frictional engaget t t t t ment with the internal surface of the spring One object of the present invention is to pro- W T W p i s "3 are so wound that vide a driving construction for lawn mower cutwhen then corresponding D l are rotated t which ehminates 1 t mgtion m tm by forward movement of the mower, the frie Another object is to provide a drive construc- 01ml force tends Q 1 Spring o tion in which the cutter is driven equally from clutching engagement Wlth the i r surface of the spring pocket. Torque is exerted by the 21331 and very important object is to propinion member on the Spring and is transmitted vide a silent drive for a lawn mower cutter. through the sprmg to the collar member by means of the .toe l'l. Since the collar member Another object of the nven 15 provide it is keyed to shaft ID the torque is transmitted stituted for the ratchet units now in use with- 56 ably one of the springs is wound in-a right-hand out other changes in the mower design. direction and the other in a left-hand direction These objects and others are attained by the and the toes I! of both springs are arranged on construction described in the accompanying the inner ends of the springs. However, the same drawing and the following description and sult s ta n d y nding th sp n s in th claims; same direction and placing the toe of one spring nd cutting elements. Preferspring takes hold immediately upon the start of forward movement irrespective of the prior position of the gro'undwheels. The drive therefore is always from both ends of the cutter and each spring transmits its proportionate share of the cutting torque and its proportionate share of the strain when rotation of the cutter is suddenly stopped by intrusion of a foreign object.

When the mower is moved backward, the direction of the frictional force on the external surface of the springs is such as to wrap the springs downwardly out of engagement with their matin clutch surfaces and to permit said clutch surfaces to move freely and silently over the same. The same conditionexists when the mower is suddenly stopped and the cutter over-travels. Thus the noise attendant on'the operation of the ratchet type of construction is entirely eliminated.

The fact that the collar member and spring are enclosed in a pocket within the pinion member permits the drive construction to be so compactly arranged that it may occupy the same or less space than the ratchet constructions now in use. The use of the retaining cap 2| holds the driving unit together as a unitary assembly which may be easily substituted for the present pinion and ratchet members, and the keyway It is properly placed so that the present "dodging keys may be used in the position of pin 20 with only a slight change in length. No other change in mower design is necessary to adapt a present mower for use of the invention.

The foregoing specification describes the invention in one of its preferred forms, the details shaft having its ends disposed adjacent to said wheels, a pinion mounted for free rotary moveof which may be variedbetween wide limits without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

The invention claimed is: 1. A lawn mower having the usual ground engaging wheels at each end, a rotatable cutter ment on each end of said shaft, each of said ground wheels engaging to rotate its adjacent pinion, a clutch interposed between each of said pinions and said shaft, said clutch including a spring pocket with a coiled clutch spring therein operating at all times to positively and instantly establish a drive connection between said pinions and said shaft when said wheels rotate in a forward direction and to instantly sever said drive connections when said wheels are rotated in the reverse direction.

2. A lawn mower having the usual ground en-' gaging wheels at each end, a rotatable cutter shaft, having ends disposed adjacent to said wheels, a pinion mounted for free rotary movevment on each end of said shaft, each of said ground wheels engaging to rotate its adjacent pinion, each of said pinions having .aspring pocket formed therein concentric with said shaft,

an over-running clutch spring seated in each of said pockets, the outer surfaces of said springs engaging the inner surfaces of said pockets, each of said springs being wound in the proper direction to be expanded into clutching engagement with said pocket surfaces when the ground wheels are rotated in one direction and to be contracted to permit free movement of said pinions when the ground wheels are moved in the reverse directions, and an end of each of said springs an chored to said cutter shaft.

WIILIAM CARLETON 

